The Board of Trustees conducted a Public Hearing this past Thursday where Summit County Engineer, Al Brubaker and his staff presented their storm water management program to 25 residents in attendance. I really thought that there would have been many more residents in attendance because if we decide to adopt this program, each homeowner will be assessed at least $48 per year with businesses charged much more. They are defining this charge as a “utility fee” but I have maintained all along that it is a TAX. You have no vote on this because the County Ordinance that created this program mandated that the Board of Trustees will make the decision to adopt or reject the program. In other words, Summit County ordinance 2017-282 granted your NCT Board of Trustees to levy a fee (TAX) on you WITHOUT YOUR VOTE!

This program is being offered to all Summit County communities and as of Thursday evening, no community has yet adopted it. While there are both pros and cons involved in this program, I am very hesitant to just jump right into it. If we did, we could be the first community to do so and I am not comfortable being the ‘Guinee Pig!” Many questions were posed to the Engineer and his staff from both the Trustees and residents. As a result, there were too many if’s and’s and but’s remaining after the responses.

Once again, the Engineer’s Office confirmed that the cost for the Dorwick Ditch study, as an example, would be around $300,000. They stated that the one-year revenue from the ‘fee’ collections would be between $178,500 to $316,300. I questioned these figures because we have 1,935 homes in our Township. If we take 1,935 x $48, we get a total of only $92,880. Even if we doubled this figure for the businesses, it would still take at least two years of collections just to pay for the study! If their figures are close to reality, especially on the high end of $316,300, our businesses, schools, churches and others not considered “homes” are going to get hammered big time based on their “impervious” surfaces such as roofs and parking lots!

It’s still a foggy area when it comes to the $4 per month fee for homeowners. How long will it be until conditions require that fee to be increased and who has the authority to increase it? We are not sure.

I asked what would happen if we decide to not opt in to this program … What kind of consequences would our Township suffer since our residents have been paying taxes to the Engineer’s Office since its founding in 1835? They essentially answered, “Nothing.” They said that we would continue receiving the same services as in the past.

Another area of concern was the apparent neglect of County controlled waterways. A couple of residents who live along Brandywine Creek complained that since the County enacted ‘riparian setback’ protections, which actually prevents them from maintaining their adjoining property within 50-feet of the creek. They then asked, who is responsible for fallen trees and other blockages? The County is responsible but they won’t maintain it because they don’t have the money! The answer was the same for the blockage of the Dorwick Ditch at the VFW. According to Mr. Brubaker, the problem is that the County Council and the Executive’s Office will not give them the funds to fulfill their responsibility to maintain these problem areas.

We have until December 31st to decide to opt in to this program or to reject it. If we reject it, we can reconsider opting in by the following December. If we opt in now, we will be entering into uncharted territory. It is my opinion, unless otherwise swayed, to wait to see if other communities will opt in and then to observe their experiences before we jump into this. Again, I don’t want to see our community be the Guinee Pig in this experiment!

WHY DON’T YOU HAVE A GENERATOR YET?

“Suddenly, an ‘inconvenience’ can quickly turn into a life or death situation!”

Over the years I’ve experienced MANY power outages lasting from a couple of hours to several days. I distinctly remember when I lived in Twinsburg and experienced the blizzard of 1978. The power was knocked out for quite some time. I had a 2.5 KW generator in my backyard shed. I ended up firing it up and back feeding it through the power line that I had in the shed for a light. This powered half of our house, including the furnace motor. Our house was the only one in our area that had power and even the police would stop in front of the house wondering how this was possible since they didn’t even have power at the police station! Needless to say, we were quite comfortable and this single incident started me on my path to disaster preparedness and self-sufficiency. That was quite some time ago but ever since that cold and devastating blizzard, we have always had some kind of backup power.

In August of 2003, most of us experienced the largest power outage in the nation. I wrote about this quite often and in the years since, many of our residents have purchased and ended up using generators during the subsequent outages that we’ve experienced. However, most have procrastinated after each outage even after having to trash hundreds of dollars of spoiled food or cleaning up their basements because their sump pumps would not function. Fortunately, these problems were considered an inconvenience because the outages occurred during relatively warm weather. Imagine for a moment what you would do if a prolonged power outage happened during the middle of the winter? What would you do without power? Think about it …. No lights, no heat, no nothing! Suddenly, an ‘inconvenience’ can quickly turn into a life or death situation! This CAN happen and it’s only a matter of time until it does!

A dependable 5,000-watt generator can be purchased for around $500 and can power virtually an entire average home. What’s $500 today considering the money most folks spend on electronics and entertainment equipment?

I can’t stress enough the importance of having a generator. What are you waiting for? I don’t want to be the person to say, “I told you so!” If you need advice, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I would look forward to consulting with you on this very important matter.

SANTA’S GIFT DELIVERY PROGRAM FOR NORTHFIELD CENTER

Each year, Santa Claus rides a fire truck and delivers gifts to the children of the community. This year, the Macedonia Fire Department will be providing the program for Northfield Center residents. For those interested, please check out the following link for more information:

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who responded to my last newsletter regarding the future of this newsletter. I have included a sampling below of the MANY responses that I received. I WILL continue the newsletter in its current format for the foreseeable future.

YOUR GENERAL COMMENTS

NOTE – If you would like your name to appear under your

Comments, please type the word “Signed” next to your name

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Obviously by the results of the elections in the area, including the school board, the residents here want to live in ignorant bliss and will do so at their peril. Residents who complain and do not run for positions or vote, along with residents hand-picked by the powers at be to do their bidding have given us the future we deserve for allowing it happen. They are more than content to have their lives and tax dollars manipulated by those of a lesser character with unanimous votes that serve not the community but the leadership of these political bodies. The face of our community is most likely going to change drastically as consolidation moves forward under the iron fist of Macedonia. Watch out Northfield Village, he’s coming for you too. Isolate and overtake – that Casino is too big of a prize to be ignored. But it’s okay, it appears no one wants to be involved anyway. Ignorant bliss, it’s what the dishonest and the corrupt wolves always expect from sheeple.

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Thanks for the update Paul . . I, for one, was very disappointed with the election results and mostly the dismal turnout. I’ll keep my fingers crossed until the final tally! Also, I look forward to your newsletter and would hate to see it go. Thanks Paul, for all you have done over the years for NCT and all that you do!

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Hi Paul, I understand how you feel about the lack of residents voting. I completely agree that the ones who complain the most/loudest are the ones who don’t even take the time to vote. I understand if you discontinue with the newsletter, but I really wish you would continue with it. My husband and I rally enjoy reading it. Thanks

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Both you and John ran very truthful campaigns for which the two of you are to be commended. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the competition. Aside from their blatant lies, I was also distressed to see a hospitality canopy set up not more than 40 feet from the entrance to the polling location at Epiphany Lutheran Church, as well as being harassed (electioneered) on my into the building by workers for Mazzola and Pepera. I thought this was against election laws. So much for that!

Regarding the continued publication of your newsletter, win or lose, PLEASE DON’T STOP as it is the ONLY place where we can consistently get the truth about what is going on in or unique township. Good luck in the recount!

Signed Henry Harff

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I can understand your frustration over the voter turnout and I do believe that most people are more concerned about the presidential election than any mid-term or in between elections. I do hope you keep the newsletter going, as my wife and I do appreciate being informed about what’s going on in NCT.

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We appreciate your newsletter. Please continue with it.

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Hi Paul, I hope you prevail with the re-count, you have done a great job for the township. If you do win the election, I would hope you continue the newsletter. I look forward to it and gives me easy access to information about our town without having to did through other sources to find out what’s happening.

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I cannot begin to imagine how frustrating the election turnout must be for all of the candidates. Your generosity in acknowledging the hard work of your opponents is another demonstration of your fine character. I certainly hope you will continue the newsletter. It is VERY important. Thank you so much– and I hope to see you as a Trustee for the next four years!

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Keep sending the newsletter. You got our votes.

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I, for one, very much appreciate your newsletter and hope you will keep it, at least in some form. It is a main source of information for what is happening in Northfield Center. (And, yes, I did vote.)

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Definitely feel you are right on in your evaluation for the election. Can not believe majority of voters did not vote for the best trustees when it is our future. So saddened for you and Mr Romanik when you have been so dedicated to all of us. Pray you stay in second place and continue the newsletter with such important information. We sincerely appreciate your dedication and respect you highly for your accomplishments.

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Thank you so much for keeping us informed in the past 12 years! I know the Newsletter has taken a lot of your effort. But I hope I will continue receiving it in the future!!

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Thank you for your years of excellent service. We pray that the election results will prove that you are re-elected and we can expect the continued great service from you. God bless you Paul. Keep the faith. We did vote for you.

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I just wanted to let you know even though I had the other guys sign posted on my front lawn he did not win my vote in the election. Ill just say the sign was placed on my lawn by some other neighbors and I let it stand there. Maybe that wasn’t right as it may have influenced others but that’s the fact of the matter. I do not discuss my political views or preferences with anyone other than my wife and we both voted for you and Mazzola. We felt this was a good balance between the candidates. I just wanted you to know I supported you all along when others were bashing you. I know you will continue to support the people of our township and its best interest. That’s all, good day.

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A big Thank You for all the work and time you put in to providing us with the newsletter. It has been very informative and gives us all insight into things of interest in our community. Please keep it going in the future.

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I am so glad you won – sorry that John didn’t !! I didn’t expect your vote % to be that low so I’m worried about our future ! Russ will have a rude awakening of what it means to be a trustee – I hope he’s not just a silent vote being controlled. I enjoy your newsletter so I hope you decide to continue it – at least I know what is happening even with my busy schedule.

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I just wanted you to know that I did not take your sign down and still have the stand, either we lost it in the storm. (we looked couldn’t find it) or it was stolen. But, I do want you to know that you got four votes from this house, (and that was attached to an eviction notice if my 25 yr old didn’t go) :). Thank god we voted, could have been a game changer. I am very happy that you were re-elected and hopefully with the recount it will stay that way. Thank you for all that you do.

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Paul, just want to wish you the best of luck in the recount. Jeff and I voted. Even though he is still fighting cancer, he would not miss out on voting for you. He and I are grateful for your diligence as a trustee in our little town. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

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Paul – we have everything crossed possible (fingers, arms, eyes) that you come out the winner. Darn shame people are just too d— lazy to vote. People in other countries die for the ability to vote. You are correct – the ones who do not vote have the biggest mouth. All they know is how to complain. Really sorry John didn’t make it. People will find out they screwed up – just wait until next year.

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Thank you for your informative newsletter. I’ve found it very helpful and look forward to receiving it. Thanks!

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I am very disappointed in the 2500+ residents of our great Township who chose not to take part in the future direction of Northfield Center; many surely know the issues we are facing and the individuals/groups who want to take us on a path the majority of us do not want to go down. I can not for the life of me understand why they could not take the 10 minutes before or after work to vote. Hopefully when the dust clears you will hold onto your seat and be the one who represents us; over the years I have not agreed with you 100 percent of the time nor should I have; but one thing has always been clear to me is you honestly care about our Township and all the people that call Northfield Center home and your decisions are always made with that in mind and that is more than I can say about the other Trustees. I can not say how much my family and I appreciate all that you do for us and I hope no matter what happens you keep your newsletter going. Thanks! Have a Great Day and a Great Thanksgiving!